Team Canada

With the NHL announcing that its players will officially compete in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Finland, invites to orientation camps have been announced the past couple days.

Today, the first Flyer has been announced to earning an invite. Flyers captain Claude Giroux is one of 25 forwards invited to the Canadian Orientation Camp.

This is the first of said honors to Giroux, who is a heavy favorite to make the team. Giroux, 25, is coming off a 48-point season in which he scored 13 goals and added 35 assists in 48 games for the Flyers in 2013.

Giroux has established himself as one of the top players in the NHL, recently earning a brand new 8-year, $66.2 million extension from the Flyers.

The Canadian/Russian Challenge series has come and gone and the four Islanders prospect that played in the tournament didn’t disappoint.
Ryan Strome was the true stand out star as he was able to secure the series victory for Team Canada with the overtime goal in game 4.

With the world junior’s tournament coming to a close earlier this week, it seemed like a good idea to take a look at the two Islanders prospects that took place in the games. Ryan Strome played for team Canada and Johan Sundstrom played for team Sweden. Of course Sundstrom seemed to come out of the games better as he is walking away with a gold medal (probably good for some locker room trash talk in the future).

Ryan Strome led the favored Canadian team into the tournament and didn’t disappoint with his play. In his six games played during the tournament he scored three goals and added another six assists. Unfortunately, Strome left the games with a bronze medal after losing a tough game against the Russians in the semi-finals.

Ryan Strome displayed that he has the hands, the vision and the speed to compete at the highest level of hockey when he put on a show at the Islanders rookie scrimmage this past summer. He was making plays everywhere he was on the ice and then finished the game with an unbelievable shootout goal in the skills competition on Islanders goaltender, Anders Nilsson.

This move still makes my jaw drop when I watch it. Granted, will he ever be able to pull something off like this in a real game? Highly unlikely, especially if he doesn't want to be jumped by the opposing goalie and all of his teammates. But it just goes to show how much skill this kid really has.

Strome is currently participating in the World Juniors tournament for Team Canada to add on to his impressive season with the Niagara Ice Dogs of the OHL. In 24 games with the Ice Dogs, Strome has 16 goals, 17 assists and 33 points along with a +11 rating and 34 PIMs. He had 106 points in 65 games played last year with the Ice Dogs and appears to be on pace for another great season.